Good point, I've ridden in very heavy rain with water logged cycling shoes and would much rather my tri shoes in those conditions. I also like the feeling of no socks, so mehh..i guess I've got my answer.

In my experience, having tight shoes doesn't matter in the least.

I have Giro Empire SLXs with elastic laces that skip a bunch of holes. I would never want to wear them in a p/1/2 crit since I'd constantly pulling up on the pedals when accelerating and sprinting and hitting 700w + every couple of minutes, but I do none of that in a triathlon.

Even on looped tri courses with corners, I'm never pulling up hard enough (over even 500 watts) to even notice.

Same with running. Elastic, loose races in my running shoes that I just slide on and off. Never notice it while racing.

Shoes with laces are more aerodynamic, elastic laces are easier to put on in t1

Ed O'Malley (Slow Twitcher) has one called VeloVetta being released soon, and I'm not sure I would classify it as a "BOA" system but more as a hybrid type closure. No idea on exact release date or if they feel narrow/wide fit wise or perform like, but I do wish him best of luck--so maybe look into those as a possibility. Seems like they will be priced around $405 from what I understand, which is actually in the ball park of some other shoes out there. He's been working on them for a long time/few years now, they should be ready for launch shortly.

One I've been interested in is the Mavic Ultimate Tri, but colors are ugly & they seem super rare to even see out on course anywhere. I saw one pair at St. George 70.3 World's but that is it--not sure I've seen another pair up close.

I bought a pair of these for my wife to try on her Kickr: IC1 | SHIMANO BIKE-US

They're marketed as an "indoor" shoe, but I don't know why. I don't see any fiber board like materials on them. I've read some reviews elsewhere from people who've used them outside that really liked them and asked the same question. I don't recall those reviews stating anything about riding in rain or whatever though. Perhaps it's pure marketing? They're too small for me, but the soles are stiff. The uppers are more flexible and vented than my Scott road shoes, but not "sock-like" either. They appear similar to the Fizik's posted a few posts earlier. The price is right for sure. My eyeballs become more aero just looking at them. :)

Anyone have any Tri experience with these?

I need wide toe box but lower volume shoes overall.
I see that Nimbl and Bont new vaypor fit me well.
They both have boa version and lace version (Bont to release in a few months).
I usually wear a single pair of shoes on the road bike and TT, indoor, middle distance tri races and training for 7-10 years.
I intend to get a new pair of cycling shoes.
Does it make sense to get only one laced pair?
A pair costs around 500 usd. So it would be nice not to have to buy 2 of them.

In your experience, for the ones using laces, is it versatile enough? Or do you have other pairs you switch to?

I wonder why Laidlow and Lange wear the boa version of the Nimble and not the ultimate air laced one. Or even the one derived from the hour record optimized shoes.

Are laced shoes faster aerodynamically but you lose it all or more elsewhere? Sole stiffness, fit, pushing force around 360 degrees, position or different muscle use?

I use bontrager tri shoes with velcro but for the first time this week end i tried to do a flying mount using elastics at the Pontevedra world championship. It did not go well as i struggled with the second shoe until the strap came undone and i finally had to stop and put it back on. Probably lost a full minute on all that process which, on a super sprint, was a total deal breaker. Anyway lesson learned, i will keep doing flying mounts in the future but only with boa tri shoes.

Which kind of flying mounts did you do? When you say the velcro came undone, do you mean the strap came completely out of its slot? Most Velcro tri shoes have a tab to prevent that.

I found recently, to my surprise, the itu tyle "real" flying mount, even done slowly and conservatively was surprisingly easy and fast compared to the other supposedly easier mounts that I had been doing.

A little chamois cream on your foot or on the tongue area and heel of your shoe helps tremendously with wet bare feet that stuck to the fabric.

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Ed O'Malley
www.VeloVetta.com
Founder of VeloVetta Cycling Shoes
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A good option for a tri shoe with a Boa enclosure AND a velcro strap are the LG Tri Air shoe. I still personally prefer a road shoe (Shimano RC-9 for me) for an IM bike split, but that is me.

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IG: NCGregory8778

Interesting. I just bought a pair of these for my indoor smart bike and I had the same thought as you: why wouldn’t these be a good tri shoe? Easy as hell to put on. Seem light and breathable. Sole seems stiff enough. Cost $100. 🤷‍♂️

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One